Literary prizes are proven investments with guaranteed returns, says a release from the Bocas Lit Fest. And a geographically small yet complex place like the Caribbean requires continuous investment to help draw out emerging literary talent.

One such venture, according to the Bocas release, was the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize, which ran over the period 2013- 2015.

“Three years later, we have Thicker than Water—a new anthology of Caribbean writing showcasing new work by prize finalists, including Trinidadian winners Barbara Jenkins (fiction, 2013) and Danielle Boodoo Fortuné (poetry, 2015).”

Both writers also launched their books that resulted from the Hollick  Arvon Prize at the 2018 NGC Bocas Lit Fest.

“A publication of Peekash Press (Bocas’ very own publishing company), the anthology features the best of a new generation of Caribbean writers from seven countries, and celebrates the unique legacy of the first award for emerging Caribbean authors with truly regional scope.

“Following its Caribbean and international launch at the 2018 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, the anthology’s UK launch, hosted by Arvon (prize co-administrator and UK literary foundation), will take place on Thursday at the Free Word Centre in London. Five distinguished British-Caribbean writers: Colin Grant, Anthony Joseph, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Courttia Newland and Kerry Young will bring to life the work of Richard Georges, Barbara Jenkins, Diana McCaulay, Shivanee N Ramlochan and Hazel Simmons McDonald.”

The event will be livestreamed via the Bocas Lit Fest facebook page www.facebook.com/bocaslitfest/ from 6:30pm (UK time).

There is also a new prize dedicated to nurturing new Caribbean voices, The Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize, now open for submissions.

Managed by The Bocas Lit Fest and Arvon, this Prize replaces the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize. It is an annual award, which allows an emerging Caribbean writer living and working in the Anglophone Caribbean to devote time to advancing or finishing a literary work, with support from an established writer as mentor. The prize is offered across three literary genres - fiction in 2019, non-fiction in 2020 and poetry in 2021.

The prize is named after Johnson and Amoy Achong and commemorates their lives as loyal and hard-working citizens of this country whose children have continued to contribute to the building of T&T.

Bocas Lit Fest founder and director Marina Salandy-Brown says “We must not underestimate the value of these prizes in honing talent and in growing the pool of Caribbean writers. We can safely say the returns on literary arts investments are evident as they are enduring. And we’re excited to see what this new prize yields for Caribbean writing over the next few years.”

The first winner of the Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize will be announced in 2019. Submissions close September 30, 2018. For more information and prize guidelines, see bocaslitfest.com

More info

About Thicker than Water

Difficult parents and lost children, unfaithful spouses and spectral lovers, mysterious ancestors and fierce bloodlines—the stories, poems, and memoirs in this new anthology tackle everything that’s most complicated and thrilling about family and history in the Caribbean.

Collecting new writing by finalists for the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize, a groundbreaking award administered by the Bocas Lit Fest, Thicker Than Water shows us how a new generation of Caribbean authors address perennial questions of love, betrayal, and memory in small places where personal and collective histories are often troublingly intertwined.

About the Johson and Amoy

Achong Caribbean Writers Prize The Prize consists of a cash award of $20,000 (TT) (or the equivalent in USD), a year’s mentoring by an established writer, travel to the United Kingdom to attend a oneweek intensive Arvon creative writing course at one of Arvon’s internationally renowned writing houses, and three days in London to network with editors and publishers, hosted by Arvon, in association with the Free Word Centre and a leading London literary agency

Students of the University of T&T (UTT) benefited from a three-hour interactive discussion with Leighton “Walshy Fire” Walsh. Walsh, a member of the popular award-winning group Major Lazer, was in Trinidad over the holiday weekend to stage the first instalment of his popular event Rum & Bass.

The event, promoted by 432 Live, featured several distinguished and talented MCs and Sound Systems including Travis World Music, Taurus Movement, Viking Sounds, featuring Bunji Garlin, Ding Dong and Jaiga.

Also joining him was fellow member of Major Lazer and Trinidad-born Chris “Jillionaire” Leacock who joined Walsh at the turntables to keep the crowd highly entertained.

Walsh spoke to the students at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa) on topics related to his journey in the entertainment industry. The students of UTT are all enrolled in the Certificate in Music technology programme and welcomed the insight from the record winning producer. He encouraged his captive audience to stay true to their journey even though challenges may arise, “Give yourself ten years of failing with a smile on your face. If after ten years, you still have the passion, you’re heading to success!”

Referencing several of his personal experiences to strengthen his points, he urged the students to not be swayed or dismayed by the efforts of those who may not like them or their contributions to the industry.

Walshy noted, “A hater is actually an employee to your progress.”

Walshy has worked with international and regional recording artistes and produced hits such as Lean On and Light It Up and is always on the lookout for new talent.

He has also expressed his desire to return annually with the Rum & Bass event to Trinidad around the Labour Day holiday period.

Walshy Fire is working on his latest album which promises a fusion of Afrobeats and Caribbean sounds set to be released in the near future.

It was a family affair at Kaiso Blues Cafe in Newtown on June 8 as Easy Listening Promotions presented Ménagerie—Si, Oui Music, or, in local parlance “See We Music,” a play on French, Spanish and English influences in the musical arts.

The band Ménagerie features the musical talents of the Gabriel family comprising of vocalists Asha, Thará, Ayanna Gabriel, and Asha Gabriel-LewisSamuel Peter (guitar), Mark Peter (keyboard), violinist Saná Gabriel, drummer Lenville Gabriel and, bassist Kent Gabriel.

The family band performed to a full venue of patrons of varying ages who followed the band on their musical journey through 1970’s contemporary styled music like Sting’s Summertime to present day gems such as Mark Anthony’s Vivir Mi Vida and No te pido by Fanny Lu. But, it was when they turned on the “Urban Swagger” persona during the performance of their original piece Video, the uniqueness defines each member individual style stood out while simultaneously displaying how refined and natural their sounds coalesce and harmonise.

As they stated during an interlude, “One Bob Marley isn’t enough,” so a medley comprising of hits from the renowned Jamaican reggae icon’s Nine Mile album such as No Woman No Cry, Could You Be Loved and I Wanna Love You amongst others, were delivered.

During a 15-minute break, Lenville engaged patrons in a fun trivia game where he explained historical moments in musical history of the development of instruments, sound patterns/arrangements that defines a genre, and places of origin.

Special tributes and recognition were also given to locals artistes as well. Andre Tanker’s Sayamanda was performed in his honour, a tune Lenville Gabriel assisted in producing. Calypso icons David Rudder and Carl Jacobs were also recognised and mentioned as well, acknowledging Lenville Gabriel’s contribution to their respective productions.

The young blended voices backed by the expertise of the band’s instrumentalists made the evening quite a truly remarkable and enjoyable experience.

• For bookings of the Gabriel family, contact Easy Listening Promotions at easylisteningpromo@gmail.com.

T&T’s Samantha Wallace and the New South Wales Swifts pulled every trick in the book to keep their Suncorp Netball League Finals hopes alive but still fell to West Coast Fever, 68-74 at Quay Centre, Sydney, Australia, yesterday.

Leading for almost the entire first half and taking bonus points in both the first and second quarters, the Swifts held a four-goal advantage at half-time, 38-34.

But they were mowed down in the second half by the Fever juggernaut, marking the first time in Australian national league history that a team has scored more than 63 goals in a game and still lost.

The Swifts were willing and had the competition leaders on the ropes for much of the contest before the Fever showed their class as they grafted their way back into the game.

Star shooter, Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler was the Nissan ‘Most Valuable Player’, but she had excellent support from Nat Medhurst (13 goals, 30 assists) and Verity Charles (24 assists, one intercept).

The 24-year-old Wallace was heavily involved in the match in the first quarter, shooting flawlessly (13 from 13) to help the Swifts take a 20-17 lead into the first break and also claimed the first bonus point of the match.

The work of the Swifts midcourt made working the ball towards Fowler hard work for the Fever and forced them to rely on long balls.

It was a dangerous tactic, but Fowler showed her athleticism to reel in the ball after ball to cut the margin back to just one.

The Fever looked set to grab their first bonus point, until the Swifts scored the last two goals of the quarter in under 10 seconds to put their stamp on the match, leading 38-34 and claiming the bonus.

The Fever came out firing after the break, peeling off a 6-3 run to close the gap to just one goal. It was a goal-fest for both sides, with the match setting the season record for the most goals in the first half of any game played so far.

It was the Fever who wrestled the momentum back to win the quarter by seven goals (20-13) to lead 54-51 at three-quarter time.

A quick start to the final quarter saw the Fever began to skip away, pushing out to a 60-54 lead and forcing Akle’s hand, with both McCulloch and Haythornthwaite injected into the fray along with young gun shooter Sophie Garbin who replaced Wallace.

The Swifts fought hard and closed to within four goals, but could get no closer as the Fever collected their ninth win of the season.

Wallace ended with 35 goals from 40 attempts, Helen Housby 23 from 26, and Garbin, 10 from 12 for Swifts in a fourth straight loss to drop to 5-6 while Folwer ended with 61 from 65 attempts for the winners and Medhurst, 13 of 15.

Last week in a 56-66 loss to Giants Netball, Wallace had a match-high 40 goals from 45 attempts and Housby, 16 from 18 while Josanne Harten ended with 29 goals from 37 attempts, Susan Pettitt added 19 from 21, and Kristina Brice, 18 of 21 for the winners.

Krystle Esdelle, T&T senior women’s volleyballer picked up two individual awards at the conclusion of the 2018 Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup Tournament in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Saturday night.

A former T&T captain, Esdelle, 33, was named as the ‘Best Opposite’ and ‘Best Scorer after she tallied 97 points over the course of the tournament, with a best of 25 in a four-set win over Costa Rica in the 11th spot playoff on Friday afternoon.

By capturing the award, Esdelle who plays professionally in Turkey, joined fellow national women’s team players Darlene Ramdin and Sinead Jack as national players to pick up individual accolades at a top NORCECA or Pan American Cup event, while Marc Honore is the lone national men’s player to have done so.

However, Estelle is the first to have picked up two awards in the same event at the level.

Lauren Carlini, whose wonderful abilities as a setter and leadership qualities helped the USA to win the 17th edition of the competition was named the Most Valuable Player.

Besides her plaque as ‘MVP’ Carlini received the award as ‘Best Setter’ while team-mate Chiaka Ogbogu was selected as ‘First Middle Blocker’. Colombian Melissa Rangel was the ‘Second Middle Blocker’.

Brenda Castillo of Dominican Republic was ‘Best Digger’, ‘Best Receiver’ and ‘Best Libero’.

Brayelin Martínez of Dominican Republic and Elina Rodríguez of Argentina were included in the All-Star as first and second ‘Outside Hitters’ respectively, and Kiera Van Ryk of Canada was the ‘Best Server’.

In the gold medal match, the USA came back all the way down from a 0-2 deficit to defeat host Dominican Republic 3-2 (24-26, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-8) in front of a packed house.

It is the sixth title for the USA in the history of the competition with the previous titles attained in 2003, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

The winners established a solid defence at the net which allowed them to score 17 blocks, including seven by Chiaka Ogbogu.

Aiyana Abukusomo-Whitney and Ogbogu blasted 27 and 21 points to lead the American attack (65-51) while Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington added 15 and 14 in the triumph.

Canada claimed its second medal ever after defeating Brazil 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-21) in the match for the bronze medal on Saturday. The Canadian squad had won also the bronze in the inaugural event back in 2002 when the competition took place in Saltillo, Mexico.

Colombia played Puerto Rico in a mouth-watering five-setter 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12) to claim the fifth spot and the last ticket available at the Pan American Cup to next year’s tournament of the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

The second set of 78 points was the longest ever in the history of the Pan American Cup breaking the one established in 2009 when Puerto Rico won the first set against the Dominican Republic in Miami, USA back on July 3.

With just two rounds of matches remaining in the Cricket West Indies Under-17 Championships, the Leeward Islands sit atop the standings following the completion of the third round of matches on Saturday.

In the fourth round of matches slated to be played today, the Leeward Islands will take on Barbados, Guyana will face Jamaican and T&T will come up against the Windward Islands seeking a change in fortunes as this match will prove cruical if the host is the retain its title.

On Saturday, in a low scoring affair, Guyana skittled out Gilbert Park, California, T&T fell only 65 before the opposition limped to 66-7, to hand the two-time defending champions its first loss of the competition.

They were three wickets apiece for Dwaine Dick and Sheldon Charles as no T&T batsman made 15.

In their turn at the crease, Guyana found themselves precariously placed at 50-7, before the pair of Nigel Deodat and Charles carried them to safety.

Sachin Singh topscored with 21, while Nicholas Ali and Sameer Ali both grabbed three wickets for the hosts.

In other matches, the Leewards defeated the Windward Islands by two wickets, their second win in three games, to climb to 13.2 points.

Guyana, which also has two wins, is close behind in second on 12.9 points after knocking over the defending champions T&T by three wickets.

Barbados is a distant third with eight points, while Trinidad by virtue of having a better net run rate then the Windward Islands is fourth, with both teams sitting on 7.2 points.

Jamaica, which is yet to win a match is sixth on 1.4 points.

In the latest round of matches, led by a three-wicket haul from Taeiem Tonge and a solid 48 by Jahiem Africa, the Leewards managed to overhaul the Windwards’ total of 146-9, finishing on 150 for eight.

Tonge finished with the impressive figures of 3-34, to help restrict the opponents who were sent into bat after losing the toss.

Jaylen Francis and Antonio Fernandes also chipped in, each claiming two wickets.

Keygan Arnold was the topscorer for the Windwards, blasting 37 from 34 balls batting down the order.

Arnold, the Man-of-the-match, returned to grab three wickets, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his side from losing.

While Africa was the mainstay of the Leeward Islands’ innings, he got good support from Demari Benta (39) and Kenny Sutton who made 27.

Barbados picked up their first win of the tournament by pummeling the hapless Jamaicans.

Batting first, Razaq Williams’ 83 helped to propel Jamaica to a respecatble 204-9 from their 50 overs.

Ramon Simmonds (2-30), Rivaldo Clarke (2-45) and Jamal Leacock 2-40, were the leading bowlers for Barbados.

Barbados, however, made light work of the target, racing to 205-4 in 44.3 overs.

Opener Rashawn Worrell made 69 , Rivaldo Clarke stroked an unbeaten 55 and Antonio Morris scored 37 to help lead last year’s runner-ups to a comfortable victory.

Results

CWI Under-17 Championships

Guyana defeated T&T by three wickets
T&T 65 off 26.3 overs (Dwaine Dick 3-16, Sheldon Charles 3-21).
Guyana 66 for seven off 20.4 overs (Sachin Singh 21; Sameer Ali 3-15, Nicholas Ali 3-30).

Leeward Islands defeated the Windward Islands by two wickets
Windward Islands 146 for nine off 28 overs (Keygan Arnold 37, Garvin Serieux 23; Taeiem Tonge 3-34, Jaylen Francis 2-15, Antonio Fernandes 2-19).
Leedward Islands 150 for eight off 27.5 overs (Jahiem Africa 48, Demari Benta 39, Kenny Sutton 27; Keygan Arnold 3-26).

Barbados defeated Jamaica by six wickets
Jamaica 204 for nine off 50 overs (Razaq Williams 83, Joseph Simpson 23; Ramon Simmonds 2-30, Rivaldo Clarke 2-45, Jamal Leacock 2-40)
Barbados 205 for four off 44.3 overs (Rashawn Worrell 69, Rivaldo Clarke 55 not out, Antonio Morris 37; Razaq Williams 2-29).

Four different players were on target as Queen’s Park Cricket Club whipped San Fernando Giants 4-2 to open a two points lead at the top of the T&T Super League standings on Saturday.

Starting the day as joint leaders with Matura ReUnited, the Parkites took the lead as early as the third minute through Keston George at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair.

However, Tristan Khan drew the visitors level in the 14th minute only for Glen Walker and Elton John to score in the 30th and 34th minute to give the Parkites a 3-1 advantage at the half-time interval.

Sean De Silva then made it 4-1 in the 74th minute with his sixth strike of the campaign to put the result beyond doubt, before Andrei Pacheco netted a late second item for Giants, in the 84th.

With the win, the Parkites remained one of two unbeaten teams this season, and improved to 16 points after six matches, two more than Cunupia FC, the other unbeaten team, which swept past RSSR FC 3-1 on Thursday led by a hat-trick from Kevon Woodley, the top scorer to date with seven goals.

Up at the Youth Training Centre, Arouca, Matura ReUnited failed to keep pace at the top after it was beaten 2-1 by host Prison Service FC.

Nathan Julien and Ricardo Alleyne scored in the tenth and 58th minute respectively for Prison Service before Brendan Figuera got a 91st-minute consolation for Matura.

Elsewhere, defending champions Guaya United blanked cellar- placed Bethel United 3-0 to move into a three-way tie with FC Santa Rosa and Police FC for the fourth spot, but ahead on goal-difference.

T&T SUPER LEAGUE RESULTS

THURSDAY, JULY 12:
Cunupia FC 3 (Kevon Woodley 22nd,
26th, 48th) vs RSSR FC 1 (Kerron
Cordner 58th)
SATURDAY, JULY 14
FC Santa Rosa 3 (Kevon Cornwall 4th,
Noel Williams 11th, Kishun Seecharan
85th) vs Club Sando Cultural United 1
(Christon Freitas 77th)
Prison Service FC 2 (Nathan Julien
10th, Ricardo Alleyne 58th) vs Matura
ReUnited 1 (Brendon Figuera 91st)
Guaya United 3 (Akiel Paul 22nd,
Garvin Samaroo 52nd, Carlon Hughes
78th) vs Bethel United 0
Police FC 2 (Jason Boodram 35th,
39th) vs Metal X Erin FC 1 (Keyon
Alexander 10th)
UTT 2 (Kevaughn Connell 52nd,
Cyrano Glen 78th) vs Petit Valley/
Diego Martin 2 (Anthony Joseph 2nd,
Calvi Grazette 81st)
QPCC 4 (Keston George 3rd, Glen
Walker 30th, Elton John 34th, Sean
De Silva 79th) vs San Fernando Giants
2 (Tristan Khan 14th, Andrei Pacheco
84th)

STANDINGS

TEAMS P W D L A PTS
1. QPCC 6 5 1 0 16 6 16
2. Cunupia FC 6 4 2 0 15 5 14
3. Matura ReUnited 6 4 1 1 12 9 13
4. Guaya Utd 6 2 3 1 11 6 9
5. FC Santa Rosa 5 3 0 2 9 5 9
6. Police FC 6 2 3 1 5 6 9
7. UTT 6 2 2 2 6 8 8
8. Prisons Service 6 1 4 1 6 7 7
9. RSSR FC 5 1 2 2 5 5 5
10. Erin FC 6 1 2 3 9 10 5
11. Club Sando Cultural 6 1 1 4 4 9 4
12. San F’do Giants 6 0 4 2 4 11 4
13. Bethel Utd 6 0 3 3 4 12 3
14. P.V.D.M Utd 6 0 2 4 3 10 2

UPCOMING MATCHES

RESTARTED MATCH
Wednesday, July 18
RSSR FC vs FC Santa Rosa, St
Mary’s College Grd, Serpentine
Road, St Clair, 5.30pm
SATURDAY, JULY 21
Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd vs
San F’do Giants, Dibe Rec. Ground,
Long Circular, St James, 6pm
Matura ReUnited vs FC Santa
Rosa, TBC
UTT vs Prison Service FC, UTT
Ground, O’Meara Road Campus,
7pm
Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd
vs Erin FC, St Anthony’s College
Ground, Westmoorings, 4pm
SUNDAY, JULY 22
Guaya United vs Police FC, Guaya
Recreation Ground, 4pm
RSSR FC vs Bethel United, TBC
QPCC vs Cunupia FC, , St Mary’s
College Grd, Serpentine Road, St
Clair, 4 pm

The need to be professional was the common theme echoed by panellists at the conference on Sport and Future at the Azimut Hotel in Moscow, Russia, on June 29. The panellists included Javier Zanetti, VP, Inter Milan; Leonardo Araujo, former player and FIFA World Cup Winner; Thabo Stiles Ntshinogang, CEO, Botswana Premier League and Lili Borisova, general manager, Bulgaria National Basketball League.

In essence, professional management revolves around three key areas: theory and experience; establishing a vision and goals; and being able to adapt and embrace change.

The panellists agreed that managing sport in a business environment requires strategic thinking and action. Sports management must be connected to the knowledge of managing as well as drawing upon various types of occupational and sporting experiences. Leonardo recognised his investment in education after his playing career with Brazil and club had ended, complemented his on the field knowledge of the game as a football manager. Zanetti expressed a similar view as it related to his graduation as a player to VP, at Inter Milan.

The best available human resources must always be utilised to ensure the optimal strategic development of any sporting organisation whether professional or amateur.

Directly connected to theory and experience, is the establishment of a clear Vision and SMART GOALS. The absence of these will result in an aimless organisation with the strong likelihood of poor development and eventual miscarriage of intentions. Establishing a clear vision and setting attainable goals is predicated on understanding the social, economic and political environment the sporting discipline is operating within. At the opening of the conference, FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, emphasised the importance of sporting organisations engaging in continuous education through cerebral networking.

Appreciating the importance of the aforementioned traits will best position sports managers to deal with the interwoven changes taking place within and outside of sport especially as it relates to technology. In other words, sports managers have to be constantly aware of the changes taking place in the environment that is affecting sport and be able to respond accordingly to ensure that the sport remains current and trendy with all stakeholders, such as investors, fans and athletes. For instance, connecting fans with athletes before, during and after events through various forms of social media or as Zanetti stated getting more women involved at the management level in sporting organisations.

“I don’t feel it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning.” —Michel Foucault.

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Despite trouncing Bangladesh 2-0 in their just completed Test series, West Indies captain Jason Holder is calling for better pitches to be prepared in the Caribbean.

He raised the concern during a press conference following the regional side’s 166-run victory over the visitors in the final Test at Sabina Park, yesterday.

Holder told reporters he’d like to see more consistent pitches which better suit fast bowlers.

“It dried out. After the first day it was very, very moist, but it dried out and there was still variable bounce which for me I don’t really want to be seeing in Test cricket. I just feel as though we need to do a little bit more in terms of our pitches to have consistent carry throughout the entire game as opposed to balls keeping low and some balls popping.

“I was a little disappointed in the way it turned out, but at the end of the day it was still good to see that the boys adjusted well on the surface and we got ourselves out of a tough spot after losing the toss…,” Holder said.

While he conceded that fast bowlers still managed to take wickets on the surface, Holder said the pitch was not as helpful as it could have been.

He said the Sabina Park pitch was usually known for its pace and bounce.

“…I just felt there should have been a little bit more in the surface here. We went in with four fast bowlers and up front we thought it would have been a bit more helpful for the faster bowlers.

“Albeit the seamers still got the wickets, but in terms of the carry and the consistent pace and bounce we’ve come to expect here at Sabina Park, it probably wasn’t the way we expected,” Holder said.

The West Indies captain’s call for better pitches comes on the heels of a similar request by former West Indies wicketkeeper Jeffrey Dujon, following the three-Test series against Sri Lanka which ended in a 1-1 tie.

Franci had promised good pitch

Before the match, the Jamaica Cricket Association’s (JCA) chief executive officer Courtney Francis had given the assurance that the Sabina Park’s pitch and outfield will be in top condition for the second and final Test match between West Indies and Bangladesh.

West Indies, which ended 1-1 with Sri Lanka in their recent three-Test series, have a one-nil lead against Bangladesh after sweeping to an innings and 219-run victory in the opening match in Antigua.

“The preparation has been excellent, and we are confident that we have done all that we can under the circumstances,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer.

“There are some standards set out and we have met all the standards. We met with the [Cricket] West Indies representatives this morning and they were impressed with where we are,” he said while insisting that all operational personnel are aware of their roles.

Francis said proper security measures will be in place and urged West Indies cricket supporters to throw their weight behind their team.

“We want people to come out and lend some support, seeing that West Indies are showing some consistency and winning some matches.

“While we curse them when they are not doing well, when they are doing well we need to lend the support to ensure we give them that morale boost and hope they can climb the rankings,” Francis said. (CMC)

Holistic Music School (founded in 2002) celebrated its sweet 16th anniversary with the Rhythms of Love—Reading In Key Concert Series at the Trinidad Country Club, Maraval, on July 7-8.

Patrons enjoyed a relaxing weekend of live jazz and various musical twists from a star studded cast of international and local musicians, preschool to professional.

On the weekend’s cast were well known acclaimed stars of music as well as aspiring Holistic students.

In the mix were La Brea diva Vaughnette Bigford, Rapso griot/ chantwell Brother Resistance, instrumentalist Rellon Brown, Omari Ashby, master drummer Everald “Redman” Watson, Rahel Moore, Yevgeny Dokshansky, Noelle Archer, The Flick, Jaizo, Lujoe & the Gifted. They were joined by Holistic vocalists, choirs, steel, Music Festival champions and the Holistic X Big Band, all delivering cutting edge entertainment during this first edition of Rhythms of Love 2018.

In a world of negative news, Holistic Music and Primary School remains committed to the holistic development of students with emphasis on literacy, growth and enjoyment of visual and performing arts in T&T.

The students won 20 awards at the 2018 edition of the T&T Music Festival with the Holistic Big Band claiming championship trophies both in the Junior (19 years and under) and Open (Adult) Classes.

The Holistic Big Band (Holistic X) has held national championship status from 2008 to 2018 and now includes scholarship musicians from First Citizens Asset Management & Caribbean Networks Arts & Education Foundation.

Celebrations will continue with the upcoming Holistic Market Atelier (Arts Workshop) August 6-17, designed to explore Secondary Entrance Assessment’s 2019-2023 Mathematics and English Language Arts Curriculum through fashion, film, stilt walking, agricultural science and market development.

(Reporting by Peter Ray Blood — peter.blood@guardian. co.tt) 

On the heels of the successful launch of his own brand of dark chocolates, young businessman James Burn has landed a deal to produce a special brand of chocolates for the local Starbucks franchise.

Burns, 28, said his venture into the agri-business started on the cocoa estate owned by his family at Gran Couva in central Trinidad where he started producing his brand of JB Chocolates just over four years ago.

Using beans from the Burns Cocoa Estate, the young entrepreneur created chocolates bars in 14 flavours.

The estate produces 1.5 tonnes of cocoa beans annually—not enough to full Burns’ production demands which require 2.5 tonnes of cocoa annually—so he purchases additional cocoa from the Montserrat Hills Cocoa Farmers Co-operative Limited.

In addition, beans from his estate are sent to the co-operative where they are fermented and roasted

According to Burns, the operators of the cooperative have the experience to get the best flavour from the beans.

The young businessman said he got involved with Starbucks after officials of the global coffee shop chain approached him at a World International Chocolate Day event hosted by the Cocoa Research Centre at The UWI more than a one year ago and asked him to create an exclusive chocolate bar featuring their coffee flavour.

Burns came up with a product created from Pike Place Coffee infused with the chocolate, where a special process is used to combine the flavours. The process take approximately three days and the product is available exclusively through Starbucks.

Burns also supplies Coverture chocolates to companies in North America and will soon be getting an export license to sell JB Chocolates globally.

Sharing his formula for success in the industry, Burns explained: “It is more profitable to get into the downstream aspects of cocoa production and entrepreneurs should start with a minimum of a five-acre estate.

Burns admitted that a cocoa estate requires a lot of hard work, but added: “The reward is great. You get to understand the true nature of the cocoa and the methods used in production.”

Caribbean Information & Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCRIS) has reaffirmed the CariA- regional rating and ttA- rating on the national scale of Bourse Securities Limited (BSL). This means that the company’s level of creditworthiness within T&T and the Caribbean is good.

The regional ratings agency also maintained a stable outlook on the ratings, premised on the expectation of continued profitability and maintenance of a healthy net interest spread, notwithstanding constraints on core income in light of subdued economic conditions in T&T and ongoing investment risks globally.

“We expect the BSL Group to maintain a generally stable credit profile over the next 12-15 months, underpinned by low leverage, strong capital buffers and liquid portfolios,” CariCRIS said. “The ratings of BSL reflect the company’s continued favourable financial performance as reflected in its good diversity of income streams, improved efficiency levels and continued profitability, though lower in 2017.

“The ratings continue to be supported by good asset quality, underpinned by a diverse investment portfolio, as well as the positive impact of ongoing measures taken by the company’s management to continuously review its Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

“Also adding to the overall good credit ratings is the company’s sound asset liability management practices, which contribute to an overall strong liquidity profile.”

CariCRIS added, however, the BSL’s good ratings is tempered by the fact that its funding base “remains highly concentrated towards a small number of large institutional investors, subjecting the company to significant refinancing risks, should these investors require repayment of the associated liabilities at short notice.

Overall market activity resulted from trading in 16 securities of which five advanced, two declined and nine traded firm.

Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 353,061 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $3,333,604.95. NCB Financial Group Limited was the volume leader with 275,542 shares changing hands for a value of $1,487,926.80, followed by One Caribbean Mediua Limited with a volume of 44,000 shares being traded for $528,000. T&T NGL Limited contributed 11,035 shares with a value of $328,291.25, while The West Indian Tobacco Company Limited added 6,826 shares valued at $595,381.66.

Unilever Caribbean Limited registered the day’s largest gain, increasing $2.48 to end the day at $29.23. Conversely, Clico Investment Fund registered the day’s largest decline, falling $0.08 to close at $20.43. It was the only active security on the Mutual Fund Market, posting a volume of 1,980 shares valued at $40,447.66.

In Monday’s trading session the following reflect the movement of the TTSE Indices:

• The Composite Index advanced by 2.31 points (0.19 per cent) to close at 1,224.13.

• The All T&T Index advanced by 2.05 points (0.12 per cent) to close at 1,721.42.

• The Cross Listed Index advanced by 0.35 points (0.36 per cent) to close at 97.60.

Finally! After a long voyage from China overshadowed by questions and speculation about its condition and suitability, the Galleons Passage is expected to dock in Chaguaramas today. If all goes according to plan, the vessel will begin regular service on the seabridge within a few days.

However, as welcome as this addition to the inter-island ferry service is, there are still many kinks and gaps in the system to be fixed. To put it simply, the arrival of this vessel won’t mean an end to the problems that have been plaguing the seabridge for years. The very least that can be expected at this stage is relief from the extreme situation of breakdowns and cancellations that have prevailed since the departure of the MV Superfast Galacia last year.

The truth is, even with the Galicia, which was designated for the cargo service, things were not perfect. It just looked that way compared to the chaos that erupted on the route after it departed for other shores.

The expectation is that the Galleons Passage will ease some of the strain on the passenger service which has been limping along for several months with only one of the fast ferries in operation.

Sooner, rather than later, replacements will have to be found for the T&T Express and T&T Spirit, as these ferries are coming to the end of their useful service. A fully functioning cargo vessel will also have to be sourced.

Of course, John Public is eagerly awaiting to see, after all the semantics from the Government and Opposition on the issue, whether the Galleons Passage passes the test on the seabridge itself and brings value for money.

Hopefully, these objectives can be achieved without any disruptions, so Tobago in particular, can begin to recover from what has been a very debilitating period for inter-island transport.

We have immigrants too

Ever since France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup victory on Sunday, much ado has been made of the fact that a large percentage of the players on that team are children of immigrants from Africa, the majority of the Muslim faith.

It has been refreshing to see the number of T&T nationals who have been sharing and endorsing these posts, highlighting some positive effects of immigrant communities on a country.

Hopefully, these social media sentiments will translate into more healthy and respectful real-life attitudes to the immigrants now seeking to live in T&T. After all, xenophobia has no place in a country like this, where the majority of citizens trace their ancestries to other lands, near or far.

Indeed, with the mix of cultures and ethnicities here, T&T should be showing the world a strong example of peaceful co-existence. Sadly, we are not.

Campaign over, work begins

Congratulations to all six candidates in yesterday’s Local Government by-elections in Belmont East and Barataria for clean, well-fought campaigns. For the winners, the hard work starts right away.

Despite protestations to the contrary from certain commentators, we do seem to have a problem with domestic violence. We not talking about murders, even though 52 women were killed last year, 43 in domestic violence incidents. Enchanting the term “incident”…..Yes sir, we had a bit of an “incident” down the road, “woman get she head smash in.” There also seems to have been a “bit of a spike” (another lovely word, bit), since the average for the preceding decade was 26 a year or as some would say, one every two weeks or so. Or so.

No, no, we not talking murder! We talking blows. Plain old-fashioned cuff in yuh face plus some kick and ting. Maybe a throat throttling or two. Some rape. Belt. Nothing too disfiguring. Despite what Roaring Lion said in 1933, “if you want to be happy and live a good life, never make a pretty woman your wife!”, you really don’t want a disfigured woman around, neighbours might talk.

As it happens, the police get more than 1,800 domestic violence (a much nicer word than “blows”) reports annually. About five a day.

In addition, according to the T&T Guardian of June 24, our Judiciary reported that more than 57,000 applications for protection orders have been made over the last two years. Fifty-seven thousand! I find that hard to believe. That’s over 150 applications a day and taking into account the number of holidays or days the courthouse cannot open because it rain or somebody gone on holiday or the A/C not working or the guard forget the key home, it must be higher?

Nah! Something wrong. Can anyone confirm? No one I know can.

But there does seem to be a problem. The 2018 National Women’s Health Survey of just over 1000 of our women, found that 30% of them had experienced physical and sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime and 6% were still receiving blows to their body in the year prior to the information being collected.

In practical terms that means that in the 15 to 64 age bracket, over 100,000 women in T&T have experienced one or more acts of physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by their romantic other.

Approximately 11,000 are likely to still be in abusive relationships. This is in tune with world figures.

This is awful and no doubt our hard-working parliamentarians are working feverishly to correct these wrongs. Whilst all this activity is going on, what is happening to the children in these situations?

Well, female survivors (hah!) of domestic violence reported more behavioural problems for their children between the ages of 5 to 12. These included things such as the child becoming unusually quiet and withdrawn, the child becoming aggressive, nightmares, bedwetting and decreased school performance, eg, repeating.

We don’t know what the non-survivors (another lovely word for dead people) would have said.

Finally, it turns out that there is a relationship between experiencing or witnessing violence as a child and actually being beaten as an adult. Women who had experienced violence as children were far more likely to receive blows compared to women who had not. The more severe the lifetime physical domestic violence experienced by a woman, the greater the likelihood that this woman had witnessed violence against her mother at home as a child.

What goes around, comes around.

Saturday, July 7, was a good day. Like most football fans, I spent it glued to the television, watching with excitement as England and Croatia won their respective matches. They went on to face each other in last Wednesday’s semifinal round; more on that later.

The popularity of the “Three Lions” squad makes them a natural favourite… but Croatia? Why would I care about them? In all honesty, it wasn’t that I wanted them to win… it’s that I wanted Russia to lose.

I know that sounds petty and irrational, especially since it makes no sense to jeer the 23 members of a national team just because I don’t like the politics of the country they represent.

But hey...this is football, a sport whose fandom is known for being ridiculous. Little did I know, however, that such a negative attitude would come back to haunt me.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, I checked the online Guardian to learn that Adrian Colm Imbert, the son and namesake of our Finance Minister, had been the victim of a robbery on Friday night.

My first reaction was an exclamation of “HA”, which resounded in the silence and solitude of my study.

But no sooner had the single word left my lips that I was overcome by a eeling of shame.

Here I was, finding spiteful amusement at this lad’s encounter with crime simply because of his familial connection.

Out of curiosity to see how my fellow Trinbagonians would react, I shared the report on social media.

Unfortunately, the majority of comments weren’t very nice, and could be aptly summed up by the Trini parlance of, “It good for him.”

Colm Imbert is perhaps one of the least liked members of the Cabinet. His position as head of the Finance Ministry, especially as it’s during an economic slump, makes him a popular target of ridicule.

Jokes about his levying of new taxes are so numerous that it’s a veritable cottage industry.

But putting his performance aside, Mr Imbert is also his worst enemy when it comes to his public image. He tends to sound arrogant when addressing Parliament and is often disrespectful to members of the media.

Even his smile can be off-putting, as if he’s saying, “I can do whatever I want and you all just have to take it.”

His persona is the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with our elected officials—acting as if they’re above the very people they are meant to serve.

In a couple of my previous columns I’ve described the existence of a “political class”; individuals who enjoy taxpayer-funded privileges while failing to provide comparable services in return.

It’s how they receive ample salaries, free healthcare and police protection; whereas average Trinbagonains can barely make ends meet, can’t get adequate healthcare and are being preyed upon by criminal elements.

Adrian Imbert had his mobile phone stolen—A PHONE—and the police were able to recover it a few days later (in contrast, the perpetrators of the Chaguaramas shooting remain at-large).

The resulting criticism was so fervent that the head of corporate communications for the TTPS had to deny that his case was given preferential treatment.

Unfortunately, Minister Imbert made things worse when, in a text interview, he denied using his ministerial influence to expedite the investigation. Our malevolent “taxman” even had the audacity to chastise the public for victimising his son.

In a morbid way, we want our politicians to “feel our pain”; to come down from their ivory tower and see how average citizens have to live.

It’s an extreme position, but at the very least, we would like them to exchange their hubris for a little humility.

And, by the way, about last Wednesday’s game… Croatia, the team I didn’t really care about… well, they ended up beating England. And Russia, in the meantime, just went on with business as usual.

That’s the thing about giving in to negative emotions like animosity—it leaves you empty inside while life goes on.

Mr Imbert is thankful that his son escaped those phone-bandits unharmed. And could probably care less that some Trinbagonians are trying to harm his pride.

Ryan Hadeed